Addiction to video games and new technologies in young people
Currently we are witnessing the continuous improvement of technologies, something that benefits us enormously. However, Some of these technologies, such as video games, are an entertainment that many young people use and that, if misused, can cause an addiction problem.
Be careful, this does not mean that the simple fact of using them leads directly into an addiction, but it does mean that you have to be careful. This type of tools that allow us to spend leisure time are used by many of us, however, there are people who are more likely than others to develop an addiction to them: young people.
This part of the population spends a lot of time in front of the screen, be it a computer, a mobile phone or a video game. And they are more likely to develop an addiction to new technologies. For this reason it is essential that they have tools to prevent it.
Video game addiction can be approached from many different perspectives, you just have to know how to look carefully.
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DSM-5 recognizes video game addiction
Pathological gambling or pathological gambling, despite the fact that it was previously recognized as a problem to be treated, has been included in the DSM-5 in its latest edition.
The fourth edition of the manual classified pathological gambling as an impulse control disorder that did not contain sub-categories. But already in the DSM-5 a new epigraph is established that includes addictions without substances, and video game addiction is one of these behavioral addictions.
The reason for being classified as such arises because these addictions are experiencing rapid growth in recent times. More and more people, especially young people, fall into an addiction in which the addictive object is not a substance, but a behavior.
It is for this reason that it is essential to have as much information as possible about behavioral addictions, above all, to new technologies, a group to which videogames belong.
Is there treatment?
If we had to define video game addiction, we would do so by saying that it is compulsive consumption or the uncontrollable urge to use them all the time.
If this need cannot be satisfied, it generates significant discomfort in the addict. In general, the fact that the adolescent is always in her room can be a warning sign. Of course, we insist that because they are used there does not have to be a problem.
But there is something that must be taken into account: what separates addiction from what is not can be a step very small, and that is why it is essential to pay all possible attention to be able to detect the signs of a addiction. And in case of seeing that the addiction exists, to be able to put yourself in the hands of specialists in the treatment of them.
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Step by step, slowly but surely
The first step in overcoming video game addiction is exactly the same as any other step. You need to recognize and identify that the problem exists.
The next step is find the help that is necessary for the person. It is imperative to find professionals who have experience treating behavioral addictions and who know how to treat the person. They will not only be able to perform personalized treatments, but they will be able to provide guidelines to addicts themselves and their families so that they can continue working day by day to overcome that addiction.
On the other hand also it is possible that the degree of this addiction necessitates a concrete and specific treatment, with medications, but that will depend to a large extent on the case we are faced with and on whether there is any disorder associated with video game addiction.
In any case, it is very important that if you have a child who you suspect he may be suffering from addiction to video games, you help him work to overcome it in a calm and serene way. You must make him see that it can be achieved with work and with the support of his closest circle.